Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To improve convenience for the service's users. [Solution] An information processing device that provides a store-side interface in an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at physical stores, comprising: a storage unit that stores in association a business account of a business operator that manages one or more physical stores that use the electronic payment service, a physical store account of the one or more physical stores, and settings for information access rights to be provided in response to login to the physical store account; a reception unit that receives the settings for information access rights to be provided in response to login to the physical store account from a terminal device used by a store-side user and stores them in the storage unit; and a control unit that, in response to login to the physical store account, permits or prohibits access to specific information that can be accessed when logged into the business operator account, based on the settings stored in the storage unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for managing by associating a user ID of a user registered in a service with an information access right given to the user ID has been known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a technique is disclosed in which an authentication server determines a login account to a service from an account management table based on a user ID, position information of a client terminal associated with the user ID, and a security level determined based on the position information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technique described in Patent Document 1 sets a login account to a service based on information stored in an account management table. However, in the prior art, when the same user uses a plurality of accounts having different information access rights, in order to view specific information, it is required to repeatedly log in / log out between the plurality of accounts, and there are cases where the convenience for the user of the service is low.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of the objects is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that can improve the convenience for the user of the service.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that provides a store-side interface in an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases made at physical stores, comprising: a storage unit that stores in association with a brand account of a brand that manages one or more physical stores that use the electronic payment service; a physical store account of the one or more physical stores; and settings of information access rights to be provided in response to login to the physical store account; a reception unit that receives the settings of information access rights to be provided in response to login to the physical store account from a terminal device used by a store-side user and stores them in the storage unit; and a control unit that, in response to login to the physical store account, permits or prohibits access to specific information that can be accessed when logged into the brand account, based on the settings stored in the storage unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can enhance convenience for users of a service. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of a configuration for implementing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the general flow of electronic payments. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the configuration of payment server 100. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the contents of information access rights information 162. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when logging into a business account. [Figure 6] This figure shows another example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when logging into a business account. [Figure 7]This figure shows another example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when logging into a business account. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when logging into a store account. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of how to configure information access rights in the store-side interface. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when logging into the store account after setting information access rights. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of an electronic payment performed by the store terminal device 50 when there is only one store account. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of electronic payment performed by the store terminal device 50 when there are multiple store accounts. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The information processing device, information processing method, and program of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The information processing device is implemented by one or more processors. The information processing device is a device that provides a store-side interface to a business (brand) that registers for a service such as an electronic payment service, for referencing and editing information such as sales, deposits, and settings of the electronic payment service at a physical store operated by the business. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payment for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store that exists in the real world. For convenience, in the following description, the information processing device will be assumed to also have the function of providing an electronic payment service and will be referred to as a "payment server," but the device that provides the store-side interface and the device that provides the electronic payment service may be separate.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] Figure 1 shows an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is implemented with a payment server 100 at its center. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10 and one or more store terminal devices 50 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, and provider equipment.

[0011] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least optical reading function, communication function, display function, input reception function, and program execution function. In the following description, the components for realizing these functions will be referred to as a camera, communication device, touch panel, CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, the payment application 20 is executed by a processor such as the CPU, and it operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to the user. The payment application 20 controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

[0012] The store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, a display function, and a communication function. The store terminal device 50 may include a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on paper or plastic media. The store code image 60 may also be displayed on a display placed in the store.

[0013] The settlement server 100 realizes electronic settlement based on the settlement information received from the user terminal device 10 or the store terminal device 50. For example, the settlement server 100 performs electronic settlement by increasing or decreasing the recharge balance managed in association with the user ID (in other words, making deposits and withdrawals of electronic money). Electronic settlement may include methods that enable purchases of amounts greater than the recharge balance at the time of purchase, such as direct debit or credit card payments.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a general flow of electronic settlement. There may be two patterns for electronic settlement: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2. In the case of Pattern 1, first, the settlement application 20 is launched on the user terminal device 10, and a code image such as a QR code or barcode is displayed. The user holds the display surface of the user terminal device 10 up to (presents) the store terminal device 50 in a state where it is logged in to the store account registered with the electronic settlement service. The store terminal device 50 decodes the code image using an optical reading function and acquires information such as the account ID. Then, the store terminal device 50 generates settlement information including the account ID, the settlement amount, the store ID associated with the logged-in store account, etc., and transmits it to the settlement server 100. The information on the settlement amount has been acquired in advance by barcode reading, manual input, or the like. The settlement server 100 moves the settlement amount from the user's electronic settlement account to the merchant's electronic settlement account based on the received information and completes the settlement process.

[0015] In the case of Pattern 2, the user terminal device 10 in a state where the settlement application 20 is launched decodes the store code image 60 using an optical reading function. The store code image 60 contains information such as the store name. The user inputs the settlement amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen where the store name, etc. is displayed. Then, the user terminal device 10 generates settlement information including the account ID, the settlement amount, the store ID, etc., and transmits it to the settlement server 100. The settlement server 100 performs settlement processing based on the received information. Note that electronic settlement may be performed only in one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (for example, a phone number) that can be used as the user's identification information.

[0016] [Settlement Server] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the settlement server 100. The settlement server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a settlement content providing unit 120, a settlement processing unit 130, a setting reception unit 140, a control unit 150, and a storage unit 160. Components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 160 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device.

[0017] The storage unit 160 is an HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. The storage unit 160 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device accessible by the settlement server 100 via a network. Information such as information access right information 162 and settlement content information 164 is stored in the storage unit 160.

[0018] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0019] The payment content provider unit 120, for example, has the functionality of a web server and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The payment content provider unit 120 reads the necessary content from the payment content information 164 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs from the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20 and transmits the aforementioned payment information to the payment server 100. The content based on the payment content information 164 includes content provided when logged in and content provided when not logged in. In the case of content when not logged in, the payment server 100 provides various guidance information and accepts applications for new registrations and changes to telephone numbers.

[0020] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on payment information transmitted by the store terminal device 50. More specifically, while logged into the store account via the store terminal device 50 installed in the store, the payment processing unit 130 instructs the store terminal device 50 to process payments using the electronic payment service, and completes the payment processing by transferring the payment amount from the user's electronic payment account to the business operator's electronic payment account based on the payment information transmitted by the store terminal device 50. The payment amount transferred to the business operator's electronic payment account is periodically transferred to the business operator's bank account, or at the business operator's request.

[0021] The setting reception unit 140 receives information access rights settings from the store terminal device 50 (more generally, the terminal device used by the business operator) in response to login to the store account on the store side interface, and stores them in the storage unit 160 as information access rights information 162.

[0022] Figure 4 shows an example of the contents of information access rights information 162. Information access rights information 162 is, for example, information such as information access rights associated with a combination of a business ID and a store ID. The business ID is identification information used to uniquely identify a business that registers with the electronic payment service. The store ID is identification information used to uniquely identify each store operated by the business indicated by the business ID. Information access rights are information that defines the details of access rights (viewing rights, editing rights, etc.) to information about the business and the store when the store account of the store identified by the combination of the business ID and the store ID logs into the store-side interface. In Figure 4, a record with "-" set for the store ID represents a business account (master account) and is granted access rights to all information about that business and store.

[0023] Information access rights include, for example, the right to view and edit store profiles displayed on the store interface, the right to view and edit business profiles, the right to view deposit information into the business's bank account, the right to view transaction information at each store, and the right to view and edit the business's bank account settings. More generally, information access rights may include the right to view and edit any information relating to the electronic payment service.

[0024] The control unit 150 performs various processes necessary to provide a store-side interface to the store terminal device 50. For example, in response to a login to a store account on the store-side interface, the control unit 150 refers to the information access rights information 162 stored in the storage unit 160 and provides the store account with information accessible on the store-side interface based on the settings of the information access rights information 162 corresponding to the store account that was logged in.

[0025] [Store-side interface] Figure 5 shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when a user logs into a business account. In other words, it indicates that the user of the store terminal device 50 is in the business account hierarchy when they log in. As an example, Figure 5 shows a case where the store terminal device 50 consists of a desktop computer and a QR code reader connected to the desktop computer. In Figure 5, area A1 represents the type of business and account logged into the store-side interface. By clicking the arrow shown in the lower right of area A1, a list of logonable accounts (business accounts and store accounts for multiple stores) is displayed. The user of the store terminal device 50 can switch login accounts (in other words, hierarchies) by clicking on any of the displayed accounts. When switching login accounts, the user may be prompted to enter the password associated with the target account.

[0026] Area A2 represents a menu screen displaying items of information provided by the store-side interface. The menu screen includes items such as deposits, transactions, bank account settings, business profile, store profile, and sub-user settings. When a user of the store terminal device 50 clicks on an item displayed on the menu screen, the information corresponding to that item is displayed in area A3. Figure 5 shows, as an example, a case where deposit information is displayed based on the total amount of payments made at physical stores managed by the business. In this embodiment, by default, access to deposit information is granted only to the business account.

[0027] Figure 6 shows another example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when a business account is logged in. Figure 6 shows a scene where information regarding bank account settings is displayed when a user of the store terminal device 50 clicks on the bank account settings item displayed on the menu screen. As shown in Figure 6, the information regarding bank account settings includes items such as bank name, branch name, account type, account number, and account holder name. If the user is granted viewing rights for bank account settings, the logged-in user is permitted to view the information of the items shown in area A3. If the user is granted editing rights for bank account settings, the logged-in user is permitted to edit the information of the items shown in area A3. In this embodiment, by default, viewing rights and editing rights for bank account settings are granted only to business accounts.

[0028] Figure 7 shows another example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when a user logs into a business account. Figure 7 shows a scene where information about the business profile is displayed when a user of the store terminal device 50 clicks on the business profile item displayed on the menu screen. As shown in Figure 7, the information about the business profile includes items such as business ID, trade name, representative, and monthly payment limit. If the user is granted access to view the business profile, the logged-in user is permitted to view the information of the items shown in area A3. If the user is granted access to edit the business profile, the logged-in user is permitted to edit the information of the items shown in area A3. In this embodiment, by default, access to view and edit the business profile is granted only to the business account.

[0029] As described above, in this embodiment, by default, access rights to view deposit information, access rights to view and edit bank account settings, and access rights to view and edit business profiles are granted only to the business account. This information, to which access rights are granted only to the business account by default, may be referred to below as "specific information." In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, we will describe the case in which access rights to view deposit information, access rights to view and edit bank account settings, and access rights to view and edit business profiles are set as specific information, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and any information related to the electronic payment service may be set as specific information.

[0030] Figure 8 shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when a user logs into a store account. In other words, it shows that the user of the store terminal device 50 is in the store account hierarchy when they log in. As indicated by area A1, Figure 8 shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when a user of the store terminal device 50 logs into the store account of store ID 0001. The control unit 150, in response to the login to the store account, refers to the information access rights information 162 stored in the storage unit 160 and provides information that can be accessed on the store-side interface based on the settings of the information access rights information 162 corresponding to the store account. In other words, the control unit 150 permits or prohibits the store account from accessing specific information based on the settings of the information access rights information 162.

[0031] Referring to the information access rights information 162 shown in Figure 4, it can be seen that the store account with store ID 0001 has the right to view the store profile, the right to edit the store profile, and the right to view the store transaction history. Therefore, even if a user of the store terminal device 50 clicks on a deposit item while logged in to the store account with store ID 0001, the control unit 150 determines that the store account does not have the right to view the deposit information and prohibits access to the deposit information (i.e., hides the deposit information).

[0032] Thus, in the default settings, business accounts are granted access rights to specific information, while store accounts are not. This is a reasonable system when a single business operates multiple stores. However, for example, in the case of a small business that operates only one store, users of the store terminal device 50 are required to switch from the store account to the business account in order to access specific information, and at the same time, to switch from the business account to the store account when making electronic payments at the store. As a result, users of the store terminal device 50 will have to frequently switch between the business account and the store account, which may result in a less convenient store-side interface. The information access rights settings described below solve this problem.

[0033] [Setting information access rights] Figure 9 shows an example of how to set information access rights in the store-side interface. Figure 9 shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when a user of the store terminal device 50 clicks on account settings while logged in to the business account. In area A3, the configured account indicates the account for which information access rights will be set.

[0034] As shown in Figure 9, in account settings, the store-side interface displays, for example, a reception screen for setting access rights to information about the business and the store. Figure 9 shows an example where information access rights are accepted via toggle buttons, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the information access rights to be granted may be selected by the user via a list box or via radio buttons.

[0035] When a user of the store terminal device 50 specifies the information access rights to be set and presses button B1, the setting reception unit 140 updates the information access rights information 162 based on the specified information access rights. In the case of Figure 9, as an example, since the right to view transaction information, the right to view the store profile, and the right to edit the store profile are specified, the setting reception unit 140 sets the right to view deposit information, the right to view the store profile, and the right to edit the store profile in the information access rights information 162 for the store account of store ID 0001. The same procedure is followed when setting information access rights when adding, editing, or deleting subusers.

[0036] Figure 10 shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when a user logs into the store account after setting up information access rights. Figure 10 shows an example of the store-side interface displayed on the store terminal device 50 when a user logs into the store account for store ID 0001 after setting up information access rights as shown in Figure 9. In Figure 9, the store account for store ID 0001 is configured to have the right to view deposit information. Therefore, in Figure 10, the user of the store terminal device 50 can view deposit information even when logged into the store account for store ID 0001. This allows the user of the store terminal device 50 to access specific information without switching the login status from the store account to the business account (including switching the hierarchy from the store account hierarchy to the business account hierarchy).

[0037] [Execute electronic payment] Figure 11 shows an example of electronic payment performed by the store terminal device 50 when there is only one store account. In Figure 11, the store terminal device 50 is a tablet terminal with a QR code reader function, and the user of the store terminal device 50, while logged into the business account, reads the QR code presented by the user terminal device 10 to make a payment.

[0038] As described above, when executing an electronic payment, the store terminal device 50 reads the QR code presented by the user terminal device 10 while logged into the store account registered with the electronic payment service, generates payment information including the store ID linked to the logged-in store account, and sends it to the payment server 100. However, users of the store terminal device 50 may also log into the business account (in other words, be in the business account hierarchy) to view specific information on the store-side interface, and even if there is only one store account linked to the business account, requiring users to manually switch to the store account (in other words, the store account hierarchy) to execute an electronic payment may reduce convenience for the user.

[0039] Therefore, when the store terminal device 50 executes an electronic payment, it sends instruction information to the payment processing unit 130 to instruct the execution of the electronic payment. When the payment processing unit 130 receives the instruction information from the store terminal device 50, it refers to the information access rights information 162 to determine whether the store operated by the business operator has only one store account. If the payment processing unit 130 determines that the store operated by the business operator has only one store account, it sends the store ID corresponding to that store account to the store terminal device 50, and the store terminal device 50 generates payment information including that store ID. In other words, payment information can be generated and electronic payments can be executed without requiring the user to manually switch accounts at the store-side interface.

[0040] Figure 12 shows an example of electronic payment performed by the store terminal device 50 when there are multiple store accounts. Similar to Figure 11, Figure 12 shows a scenario in which a user of the store terminal device 50, while logged into a business account, reads a QR code presented by the user terminal device 10 to make a payment.

[0041] If the payment processing unit 130 refers to the information access rights information 162 and determines that there is more than one store account for a store operated by the business operator, that is, if it determines that there are multiple store accounts for a store operated by the business operator, it sends the store accounts and store IDs that are candidates for electronic payment to the store terminal device 50, and the store terminal device 50 displays the received store accounts and store IDs, for example, in a list format. When the store terminal device 50 accepts the selection of a store account by the user, it generates payment information including the store ID associated with the selected store account. In other words, payment information can be generated and electronic payment can be executed without requiring the user to manually switch accounts on the store-side interface.

[0042] In the above embodiment, while logged into the business account, the system accepts the setting of information access rights to be granted to the store account, and if the store account has access rights to specific information, the specific information is provided via the store-side interface. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and if there is only one store account, that store account may be given the same information access rights (i.e., full control) as the business account. This also enhances convenience for small businesses.

[0043] As described above, according to the embodiment, while maintaining a hierarchical structure between the business operator account and the store accounts of multiple stores operated by the business operator, the system accepts the setting of information access rights to be granted to the store accounts and grants information access rights to specific information to those store accounts. As a result, users of the store terminal device 50 can access specific information without switching from the store account to the business operator account. This enhances convenience for store-side users of the electronic payment service.

[0044] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, when a business operator increases the number of stores it operates, it sets information access rights for newly opened stores through account settings. That is, the business operator can set the same information access rights for newly opened stores as the business operator account via the store interface, or it can set only information access rights related to the store's operations. Alternatively, the business operator can set the information access rights for newly opened stores that have already been granted to accounts (including sub-users). For example, it is possible to identify information access rights corresponding to job titles and roles (store manager, expense processing officer, promotion officer, etc.) and transfer these settings to new stores. The information access rights set in this way are managed in a hierarchical structure as the information access rights information described above, and the business operator can then change the settings of the information access rights information as needed. This also improves the convenience for businesses when increasing the number of stores they operate.

[0045] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 10. User terminal device 20 Payment Apps 50 Store Terminal Devices 60 Store Code Images 100 Payment Servers 110 Communications Department 120 Payment Content Provision Department 130 Payment Processing Unit 140 Setting Reception Section 150 Control Unit 160 Storage section 162 Information Access Rights Information 164 Payment Content Information

Claims

[Claim 1] An information processing device that provides a store-side interface in an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases made at physical stores, A storage unit that stores, in association with each other, a business account of a business operator managing one or more physical stores that use the aforementioned electronic payment service, a physical store account of the one or more physical stores, and the settings of information access rights provided in response to logging into the physical store account. A reception unit that receives information access rights settings from a terminal device used by a store user in response to logging into the aforementioned physical store account and stores them in the storage unit, The system includes a control unit that, in response to logging into the physical store account, permits or prohibits access to specific information accessible when logging into the business account, based on the settings stored in the storage unit. Information processing device.

Images